Pelicans Rookie Suffers Torn ACL In Summer League
The New Orleans Pelicans selected E.J. Liddell with the No. 41 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft with the mindset of him being one of the sleepers of this year’s draft class.
Unfortunately for them and Liddell, he will not be suiting up during the 2021-22 season due to suffering a torn ACL in his right knee during a Summer League game in Las Vegas against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
After the injury occurred, Liddell was on the ground in a lot of pain and when he was helped to his feet, the rookie struggled to put any weight on his right leg. He had to be helped to the locker room where the team said he would undergo further evaluation.
The team announced on Tuesday that an MRI confirmed that the rookie forward had suffered an ACL tear.
Named to the All-Big Ten First Team and Big Ten All-Defensive Team, the former Ohio State Buckeye now faces a major roadblock at the beginning of his NBA career.
In his first Summer League game with the Pelicans prior to his second game in which this injury occurred, Liddell scored 2 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in about 24 minutes.
Being a team that prides themselves on the defensive-end of the floor and always looking for depth in their frontcourt, this is a big loss for New Orleans.
According to the team’s release, a date for surgery has not been determined yet and further updates on his status will be provided appropriately.
